Improved flood-gate



libtitml 51am JOHN J. .KIMBALL OF NAPERVILLE, ILLINOIS.'

Letters Patent No. 98,979, dated January 18, 1870.

IMPROVED FLOOD-GATE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J ons J. KIMBALL, of Naperville, in the county-ot' Du Page, and State of Illinois, have invented a new and improved Flood-Gate; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in self-opening flood-gates; and consists in the combination with the main gate arranged between the two walls, of a fiume, ontrunuions, at or about the centre, lengthwise, and to stand in an inclined position when in the normal condition; of one or more auxiliary gates in flumcs at the sides, wit-h hulk-heads, over which the water will fall in times of floods, against the lower ends of the said auxiliary gates, journaled at the upper ends, and carrying arms on the said journals, which, working in spaces in the walls of the flume where they will not encounter floating ice or drift wood, will bear upon journals orfriction-rollers projecting into the said spaces from the upper end ofthe main gate, and turn it on its trunnions, to raise the lower endand allow the water to escape under it, all as hereinafter more fully specified.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved Hood-gate;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sect-ion on the line n; a: of iig. 1 and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section on the line 'y y of iig. 1.

asimilar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

A is the main Hume or sluceway,and B, the side walls thereof.

C are side sluices or flumes, with bulk-heads, D, at the upper ends, below which are the inclined aprons E.

F is the-main gate', placed between the walls B, on trunnious G at about the centre of its length, and resting, in its normal position, with the end' H down on the bed I, at the 11p-stream end of the fiume.

The other end of this gate carries friction-rollers, K, on suit-able studs projecting into the curved recesses L, inthe walls B of the flume.

M represents the auxiliary gates, journaled in suitable bearings in the walls B and corresponding outer walls7 B', near their upper edges, and projecting downward to the bottom of the spaces C, so that water fallingover the bulk-heads D, and down the aprons E, will strike against the lower ends, and force them down the stream.

The journals of these gates, projecting into the walls B, carry curved arms, N, which, when they stand in the position represented in iig. 2, and the gates F are in the normal posit-ion, bear near their junction with the journals against the friction-rollers K, so that when the water rises high enough to llow over the bulk-headsfreely against t-he said gates M, and force them back, these arms, acting on the said rollers, will force the npp'er end of the gate F down, and the other end up, as shown in iig. 3, nearly, but not quite toa horizontal line, allowing the water to pass under it.

But when the water falls below the bulli-head D, so that the force on the gates M ceases, the quantity oi' water on the end H of the gate F being the greatest, will carry it down again to the bed I, and close the space below, restoring it to the low-water position.

It will be seen that the arms N and rollers K', being enclosed in the spaces provided for them in the walls D, are fully protected from floating ice and other objects; also, that the arrangement of the arms N with the rollers K of the gate F is such, that in first starting the gate in motion, when by reason of the greater depth of water and consequent weight on the end H, it offers great resistance to the force of `the arms N, they are caused to bear near their junctions with the shafts ofthe gates M, where they are more effective but as the gate turns and the weight decreases, the distano-ect' the bearing-points on the arms from the journal increases in about the proportion of the said reduction of the weight, making thereby a uniform action of the one with the other.

Having thus described my invention,

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, with the gate F, journaled between the walls B, and provided with the studs and friction-rollers K, of one or more gates, M, arranged arms N, in the spaces in the bulli-heads B, substantially as specified.

Witnesses: JOHN J. KIMBALL.,

Mounts B. POWELL, CLEMENT PownLL. 

